


What Frozen Things Do In Summer

by Ohlookitstomorrow



Series: TWW Winter Fluff Event [21]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Prompts - Winter myths/legends, Written for the WW2018WinterFluffEvent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 21:03:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17190362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohlookitstomorrow/pseuds/Ohlookitstomorrow
Summary: Walking for so long with the harsh cold of winter as her only companion has caused a heart, that once beat rhythmically beneath the bone of Hecate's breast, to freeze like the frost that trails in her wake. Whispers about the warmth of summer persuade Hecate to take unknown risks.





	What Frozen Things Do In Summer

The first winter began in October and dwelt 'til the last day of March. Ruled by a single goddess, these months were filled with darkness and cold; crops refused to grow, and the earth seemed to recede in slumber.

Rumours flitted to and fro - they said the goddess of winter was an old hag who held no heart, and thus she couldn’t bear to see the light. However, as Hecate could attest, that was far from the truth.

Hecate, the true goddess of winter, had too much heart to bare. Hair as black as midnight, skin as pale as snow: Hecate was a representation of the weather she ruled. 

She walked with frost trailing in her wake, and when mortals saw her approach, they retreated quickly into some semblance of shelter. Like the barren branches of the trees, Hecate was lonely. Unbelievably lonely.

Through the windows of homes, Hecate watched as lovers curled up beneath the hearth, her soul bleeding as she did. The cold, with which she was made, started to feel foreign and made her wish for something warm. She longed to do as lover’s do, but for many years, Hecate’s pursuit of happiness remained unfulfilled.

Time passed far too slowly, and Hecate grew colder and colder with each minute. Her time on the earth was veiled in mourning: each and every mortal decried her presence and pleaded for the return of her predecessor.

Hecate knew there was another goddess, another of her kind ruled the second half of the year. Hecate knew of her, but they’d never met. 

The earth loved the goddess they called summer, they welcomed her arrival and basked in her glorious light. Life bloomed in summer. And most of all, summer came with warmth.

Summer could provide Hecate with the warmth she sought. But what happened to the cold once it was heated? Hecate’s heart was a cold block of ice - what had once beat beneath her breast, now lay still. Hecate decided the scientific law of evaporation was a price she was prepared to pay: she would meet the goddess of summer, and she would thaw her long, dead heart.

On the last day of winter, Hecate watched the mortals prepare for her departure, she almost felt guilty that her chill would still linger - for Hecate had made no plans to leave.

As day turned to night and then brightened come morning, Hecate watched as the frost from her magic glistened in the rising sun. Like diamonds scattered over the earth, slowly giving way to blades of grass, peaking from their blanket of white. 

Hecate marvelled as she observed all that was new, the beauty created a rift in the chasm of her chest. Her spirits were only dampened when the first mortal awoke and wept at what he found.

They’d expected to see nothing but the shining rays of the sun, but instead, they could still very much feel winter’s sting.

If this was what everyone believed, maybe Hecate truly was meant to live her life alone. Those who loved the sun despised the cold; so, one made from the sun must detest it tenfold.

The goddess of summer was greeted by the mortal’s cries to join their plight, and banish the winter, once and for all. But, the woman who walked with the appearance of gold was intrigued and not disgruntled: she frowned at those who wished her to cause harm to the beauty she saw in the slow, melting snow.

Hecate watched from afar, in shock at what she’d heard. When the goddess of summer turned, displaying the soft features of her face, eyes that gleamed like honey, Hecate felt the ice around her heart crack sharply. 

Doubled over in pain, hand clutching her breast, Hecate failed to see the flowers in bloom, as summer approached her. Only when she felt a warm hand trace the prominent ridge of her jaw, did Hecate lift her head.

Up close, her opposite number could only be defined as a Devine revelation. 

“I’ve waited to meet you for so long, Hecate,” the voice of summer chirped like the birds in the trees, as she looked upon Hecate with amazement.

“You know who I am?” Hecate asked in disbelief.

“Of course, I do,” the golden-haired goddess laughed. “I feel your magic as it waits for me each year, your crystals of ice are my favourite gifts!” Hecate felt an unfamiliar heat creeping upon her cheeks, as the other woman joined her kneeling on the ground. “I knew you’d be beautiful! I was so drawn to your essence, and now, I’m equally as enamoured by its source.”

“I’ve missed you,” Hecate trembled. “I feel like I’ve known you for an age and now we’re reuniting after decades of separation...” Smiling through the haze of golden warmth, Hecate whispered; “but I don’t even know your name?”

Hecate felt lips mumble their response against her own: “Pippa.”

“Pippa,” Hecate gasped, as a whole wealth of new emotions washed over her. Their tongues met in a dance that Hecate knew the steps of instinctively.

Hecate felt warm hands grasp her own and with shining eyes, Pippa proclaimed; “cold hands, warm heart.”

Looking into eyes that held the heat of a furnace, Hecate promised; “it is now.”

**Author's Note:**

> I based this on the legend of Beira: Queen of Winter. The tale's origins can be found in Scottish folklore - which felt fitting for me as I am in fact, from Scotland. 
> 
> You can find me on:
> 
> Tumblr @ohlookitstomorrowff  
> Instagram @ohlookitstomorrow


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